Drawer-locking mechanism.



A. H. SCHAFFERT.

DRAWER LOCKING MBHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.24, 1910.

Patllted 0017. 24, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. 11. SGHAPPERT.

DRAWER LOCKING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 1.156,24, 1910.

1,006,983.. Patented 0011211911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.JKM fam.: 5cm/IFN?? A.A H. SGHAFFERT.

DRAWER LOCKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.24, 1910.

f I La ATTORNEY A. H. SCHAFPERT.

DRAWER LOCKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.24, 1910.

1,006,983. Patented 001.24, 1911.

, 4 slums-SHEET 4.

I 11 IM d1 Arron/vn lss UNITED sra-rus .PATENT onirica.

ADOLF'H. SCHAFFEBT, `OF YOUIIGSTOWN, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL FIRE- PROOFING- COMPANY, '0F YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, A CORPORATION 0F OHIO.

DRAWER-LOCKING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Paten-t.

Patented oct.' 2a, wir.

.application filed August 24, 1910. Serial No'. 578,768.

honing and vState of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drawer-Locking Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the general subject of locking devices, particularly of the kind employed for locking the units of office furniture and kindred articles.

To this end the invention primarily has in view an improved locking mechanism possessing special utility in its application tothe drawers or sliding units of a filing cabinet or case such as employed as a part of an oiiice equipment. In this connection, the invention contemplates simple and thoroughly practical means which are primarily intended to be associated with a plurality of drawers arranged in a tier or stack, and which provide secure and reliable means for locking all of the drawers in their closed positions, and preventing the opening of any one or all of the same except by the use of a proper and authorized key. Furthermore, the improved locking mechanism is of such a character as to admit of the greatest-possible freedom in the use of the drawers, that is to say, the drawer or drawers in use may be the only ones left unlocked, while the remainlng drawer or drawers may be held securely locked, and at the same time the mechanism provides for the automatic locking of a drawer when moved to its closed position.

With these and many other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better under- A stood, the same consists in the novel -construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

While susceptible to structural modification, a preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective broken away, of a filing cablnet or case fitted with the improved locking mechanism for the drawers thereof. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a part of the ling cabinet illustrating all of the latching dogs lifted, thereby unlocking or releasing all of view, partly the drawers so that they are free to be opened. Fig. 3v is asectional elevation illustrating another position of the locking mechanism, that is to say, with the universall release rod dropped, and certain of the drawers open and free` to be moved, and the remaining drawers locked in their closed position. Fig. 4 is a group of elevational views of the metal stamping constituting one of the latching dogs employed ywith each drawer or sliding unit. Fig.4 5

is a similar view of the metal piece constituting the yoke piece carried at theA upper end of the release rod. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the primary controlling lock for the release rod,

showing one position of the parts. Fig. 7 is a slmilar view of said lock i showing a second position of the parts. Fig. 8 is a sectional v iew of the controlling lock illustrating more plainly the mounting and construction of the key-operated headpiece of said controllinglock. Fig. 9 is a group of elevational views of the metal stamping constituting the supporting and guiding casing for the parts of the prlmary controlling lock. sectional view on the line 10-10 of Fig. 6.

`Like references designate corresponding parts in the several gures of the drawings.

In the application of the invention illustrated in the drawings, there is shown a ling cabinet comprising a casing 1 and a plurality of sliding drawers or units 2 arranged in the usual tier or stack, common to office furniture of this type, and it will of course be understood that as farv as the invention is concerned, it is immaterial whether the furniture is of wood or metal or as to the design thereof, as the improved locking mechanism is capable of general application to a tier of sliding units, such as the drawers of a filing cabinet.

The improved drawer locking mechanism forming the subject matter of this application includes in its general organization aplurality of latching dogs 3, one for each sliding unit 2. Each latching dog 3 preferably consists of a metal stamping having a pivotal mounting at one end as at 4, within and upon the frame part of the casing l and provided at its swinging or unpivoted end with a depending beveled and shouldered locking detent 5, and at a -point between its ends with a guide hole 6 which loosely receives therein the universal release rod Tex- Fig. 10 is a detail cross p tending vertically throughout the casing, and common to all of the latching dogs. Beneath each latching dog the release rod 7 is provided with a lifting pin 8 which is adapted to engage beneath and lift the dogs from their locking positions with reference to the xed catch studs or projections 9 which are provided upon the sides of the sliding units or drawers. It will be seen by reference to the drawings that an open drawer when moved inward toward its closed position, carries the catch stud 9 thereof under the beveled detent 5, thereby automatically lifting the swinging end of such detent and permitting the shouldered part of the latter to automatically drop behind the stud and thus lock the drawer, all of which will be apparent from an examination of Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The movement of the universal release rod 7 is controlled through the medium of a primary controlling lock which includes in its construction a sheetl metal supporting and guiding casing 10 within which are arranged, supported, and guided, the several elements constituting the lock. This lock as an entirety is supported in a xed position at a convenient point within the casing of the furniture, and in a filing cabinet may be arranged within the right hand upper corner thereof as suggested in the drawings. Vithin this casing 10, that is, the lock casing, there is arranged an operating tumbler 11. This tumbler has both a rotary and a longitudinal sliding movement, and to provide for these movements, the said tumbler is formed at one end with a slide stem 12 working through a guide opening 13 in one end of the casing and at its other end the said tumbler has fitted thereto a key-operated head-piece 14 which is journaled in a shiftable bearing sleeve 15 that carries therevwith a guiding and holding rib 16 slidably interlocked with a forked guide element 1 provided at one end of the lock casing 10. The said head piece 14 is provided thereon with a suitably -shaped key socket 18 for the reception of an actuating key 19, and at an intermediate point, the tumbler is provided with an eccentric 20, and at one side of the eccentric with a keeper notch 21, said elements 20 and 21 eoperating with a yoke piece 22 fitted to and carried by the upper end of the release rod 7. This yoke piece 22 is preferably a channeled stamping provided at its upper end with a guide tongue 23 working through a guide opening 24 in the top of the casing 10, and said yoke piece has formed therein a main clearance opening 25 within which the tumbler 11 operates,

and a guide opening 26 which is slidably intei-locked with a T-shaped guiding flange 27 provided at the bottom of the lock casing 10. An actuating spring 28 is coiled on the slide stem 12 of the tumbler, and has a the casing 10 and the'shoulder 29 on the tumbler, and exerts its tension in a direction to thrust the tumbler forwardly.

In the normal position of parts with the universal release rod 7 dropped and all of the latching dogs engaged with the catch studs on the drawers, the yoke piece 22 lies within the keeper notch 21 and holds back the tumbler against the tension of its actuating spring 28.l When it is desired to unlock the drawers by lifting the latching dogs, the key 19 is inserted in the head piece 14, and the tumbler given a one-half revolution with the result of carrying the eccentric 2O to its uppermost position and consequently lifting the release rod and the latchmg dogs with it. In such uppermost position of the eccentric, the body of the tumbler then becomes free to be thrust forward by the spring 28 through the clearance opening 25 of the yoke piece, whereupon the tumbler ma? be rotated back to the original position an the key withdrawn, but the yoke piece and its release rod will still be held elevated. When it is desired to drop all the latching dogs so that any one or all of the drawers may be relocked, it is simply necessary to press the tumbler inwardly till the yoke piece automatically drops back into the keeper notch 21.

I claim:

1. A locking mechanism including a reciprocating release rod provided with a yoke having an opening therein, and a tumbler extending through the opening of the yoke and mounted to have both a sliding and a rotary movement, said tumbler being formed with eccentric and concentric portions which are alternately slidable into the opening of the yoke, the eccentric portion serving to reciprocate the release rod upon a r0- tary movement of the tumbler when it has been moved into the opening, while the concentric port-ion holds the release rod against movement. j

2. A locking mechanism including a kreciprocating release rod provided with a yoke having an opening therein, a tumbler extending through the opening of the yoke and mounted to have both a sliding and rotary movement, said tumbler being formed with eccentric and concentric adapted to be moved alternately into the opening of the yoke and the eccentric portion being notched upon one side thereof, and means normally tending to move the tumbler is moved within the openingeofthe yoke and the tumbler rotated, and thqfsaid yoke being designed to engage the ntsb, '1v-'30 ortions tumbler 'to hold the concentric portion thereof 'to lock the tumbler against sliding movement.

3. A locking mechanism including a cas'- ing, a tumbler mounted Within the casing to have both a sliding and a rotary movement, the said tumbler being formed with eccentric and concentric portions, a reciprocating release rod provided with a yoke which extends through the casing and is slidably mounted thereon, the said yoke being formed with an opening receiving the tumbler, and means for sliding the tumbler to move either the concentric or eccentric portion thereof into the opening of the yoke, the

eccentric portion of the tumbler serving to operate the reciprocating rod when the tumbler is rotated, while the concentric portion thereof holdsthe release rod against ymovement.

4. A locking mechanism including a casing provided upon one side thereof with a guide opening and at the opposite side thereof with a tongue, a release rod provided with a yoke which is slidably received within the casing, the said -yoke being formed with an extension which projects through the guide opening of the casing and also with a slot loosely receiving the tongue upon the opposite side of the casing, and a tumbler mounted within the casing to have both a sliding and reciprocating movement, the said tumbler being formed with an eccentric portion adapted to be moved into and out ,of coperative relation with the yoke and which serves when in operative position ,to reciprocate the yoke upon a rotary movement of the tumbler.- l Y 5. A locking. mechanism including aV casv ing provided with a forked "extension, a reciprocating release rod, a tumbler mounted Within the casing to have both a rotary andsliding movement, the .said tumbler being formed with a head piece, a bearing sleeve receiving the head piece and slidably mounted upon the forked extension of the casing, and means whereby the release rod is operated through the medium ofthe tumbler. 6. A locking mechanismincluding a casing, a reciprocating release rod provided with a yoke which is slidably received within the casing and is formed with an opening,

a tumbler mounted .within the casing -t have both a vsliding and rotary movement and extending throughthe opening of the yoke, one end of the tumbler being formed with a stem which is slidable through one side of the casing and the tumbler being formed with concentric and eccentric ortions adapted to be moved alternately 1nto the opening of the yoke, a spring` applied to the stem and 'normally tending to slide the tumbler to move the concentric portion thereof into the opening. `ofthe yoke, in which position -the yoke is held against movement, and means for moving the tumbler against the action of the spring 'to bring the eccentric portion thereof ito the opening of the yoke, the said eccentric portion then serving to reciprocate the yoke when the tumbler isrotated.

y7. A locking mechanism including -a casing,l a reciprocating release rod provided with a yoke which is received within the cas-A ing and formed with an opening, a tumbler mounted within the casing to have both a sliding and rotary movement, one end of the tumbler being formed with a stem which is slidable through a side of the casing and the said tumbler being formed with concentric and eccentric portions adapted to be moved alternately -into the opening of the yoke, the said eccentric portion of the tumbler being notched, a spring applied to the stem and tending to slide the tumbler to throw the concentric portion thereof into the yoke, in

which position the yoke is held against movement, and means for sliding the tumbler against the action of the spring to bring the eccentric portion thereof into the opening of the yoke, the said eccentric portion serving to reciprocate the yoke when the tumbler is rotated and the said yoke being adapted to engage the before mentioned notch to hold the tumbler against the action i of the spring.

In testimony whereof4 I hereunto atx my signature in the presence of two wltnesses.

AnoLF nscrmrrna'r.' Witnesses 'H.- E. WHITE,

H. R. GLENN. 

